On the Influence of High-Footed Furniture on the Forms of Porcelain Wine-Pouring Vessels

Abstract

Wine-pouring vessels are essential utensils in traditional drinking culture, used for containing, serving, and even admiring wine. From the Wei and Jin periods to the Tang Dynasty, the widespread adoption of high-footed furniture significantly altered the postures and customs associated with drinking in China, leading to transformations in the form, size, and decoration of wine-pouring vessels. By examining paintings from the Wei and Jin to the Tang Dynasty, this study explores changes in drinking postures. In conjunction with excavated porcelain wine-pouring vessels, it argues that the use of high-footed furniture objectively reduced the activity space of diners, prompting the miniaturization of wine-pouring vessels and the emergence of structural features such as spouts and handles.